Published: March 18, 2020

To the Thomas College community,

I am both proud and grateful that, through the partnership of students, families, faculty, and staff, we have achieved the goal set just 3 short days ago (Sunday, March 15, 2020) to transition all resident students (without approved extenuating circumstances) safely off campus.  Through this act of social distancing, we will do our part to help “flatten the curve” of Coronavirus spread, and improve the health and safety of the College community and our larger Central Maine community—the guiding stars of our decision-making efforts.

I am also pleased to announce that the majority of Thomas College faculty and staff have completed or will soon complete the transition to remote working by the end of this week.  My thanks go out to the Information Services team who continue to answer questions, hold trainings, and guide all of us into the new reality of remote telework.

As we continue to address and communicate the most immediate health and safety needs of the College community, we now are beginning to turn our attention to some of the most pressing questions we are hearing from our students and families.  In my communication yesterday, I updated you that we are working to finalize our Room and Board Refund Policy.  Today, I’d like to update you on the status of our Commencement Ceremonies.

COMMENCEMENT UPDATE: 

For the health and safety of our entire Thomas College family and given the current information and guidance on large public gatherings, I am very sorry to let you know that we have decided to postpone our Commencement Ceremony, originally scheduled for May 16, 2020.  This was not an easy decision to make, but we feel it is the correct one to safeguard the health of our community.

However, I am pleased to share with you that we will reschedule the Commencement Ceremonies for the Class of 2020.

To the Class of 2020, I promise that:

• We will celebrate your academic achievements, hard work, and perseverance, together as a Thomas College community.
• While we do not yet know exactly when or the exact form it will take, we will find a way to celebrate each of you!

Please continue to watch out for your health, the health of those you love, and the health of those who are the most vulnerable in your communities.

For the most current news and updates, please continue to visit our COVID-19 web page athttps://wwwold.thomas.edu/coronavirus.  If you have questions, please email us at  covid19@thomas.edu.

With deep respect,

Laurie G. Lachance
President